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Sunday, May 17, 2015

My Victoria Day Long Weekend Saturday

Last evening was one of those where it was obvious that my younger brother Mark had swallowed far too much booze ─ he was approaching irritability, betimes spouting off his undesired senile commentary as we watched T.V.

At 10:00 p.m., rather than tune in the boring CBC Evening News, I offered to use Shaw Cable's feature 'On Demand' and watch the free season finale of Person of Interest that had aired recently.

After about 20 minutes, I realized that he had passed out ─ so much for his enjoyment of the episode.

He had arrived home just around 9:00 p.m. from wherever it was that he had been drinking, so perhaps it was remarkable that he retained consciousness for as long as he did ─ considering his speech during those aforementioned commentaries.

He was definitely plastered.

I watched the episode essentially by myself; and then around 10:45 p.s. came up here to my computer to do a few things.

I was likely in bed by around 11:35 p.m., while Mark was still passed out in his chair in front of the low-volume T.V.

I had my usual stretch of a few hours of good sleep; and then around ─ or soon after ─ 4:00 a.m. I was awake enough to decide to take a bathroom break.

Sleep was intermittent thereafter, and I rose for the day around ─ or soon after ─ 8:30 a.m., not feeling as well-slept as one might expect for the amount of time I had been abed.

I set to work finishing the post I had laid the groundwork for yesterday at my website Siam-Longings. However, I had in mind that I would hike the two miles to the government liquor store at 108th Avenue & King George Boulevard in Whalley, and thereby replenish my fading beer supply.

Mark had meantime gotten up for the day, too; and then whilst I was surreptitiously readying for my venture, he responded to a phone call from his girlfriend Bev and left to do something for her.

It would have been nicer to have gotten away earlier than I did, but it was 11:05 a.m. ─ not too very bad.

It was mostly overcast. I took my time on the walk, wanting to benefit from as much daylight as possible.

The only noteworthy incident I have to mention concerning the trip occurred as I was walking along City Parkway towards the liquor store, and was approaching the four-way-stop intersection with 105-A Avenue.

There were no cars anywhere near the other three stop signs, but there was one coming from where I had just come ─ I could hear it moving along quite slowly behind me.

I reached the stop sign and kept moving forward across 105-A Avenue, for there were still no other vehicles around.

Bu the jerk who was operating the vehicle just behind me did a right turn after I was out of the way, and then offered me this comment as he passed along: "Ya never looked behind ya first, did'ja?"

Why the Hell would I have possibly needed to check behind me before proceeding through an entirely clear four-way stop?

I had arrived at 'our' stop sign just ahead of the vehicle behind me, and proceeded with clear right-of-way ─ the vehicle behind me could only have just made a full stop as I was starting across 105-A Avenue, the road he planned turning right onto.

That vehicle had never drawn ahead of me at any point ─ I got to the stop sign first and kept going.

So I offered him my own assessment immediately after he ventured his ─ I called forth: "Knob!"

It was upsetting, and affected my mood for a long while afterwards.

It's still bothering me, I see, now that I am recounting it.

Anyway, instead of the usual two dozen cans of beer, I bought 2½ dozen. Sometimes it is nice having a fourth can of beer in the evening, and not arbitrarily limiting myself to three each and every evening. In fact, today, I was even contemplating having hard liquor on hand to supplement my usual three cans of beer.

Upon getting home, I readied to spend some time sitting out in the backyard, even though it was mainly overcast.

I am coming to believe that I will not suffer the physical crash that has always attended these beer forays if I do not immediately come and sit here at my computer to work.

Spending time outside ─ and grounded or 'Earthed' while doing so ─ for maybe a half-hour seems to deflect that crash.

I have of late been sitting in a metal-framework lawn- or deck-chair that is either on a cement pad that is embedded in the backyard, or the chair is on the lawn itself.

If the day is overcast and thus cool, and I am unable to be shirtless, I will at least have my forearms bared and resting on the metal arm-rests, thus maintaining a constant contact with the Earth.

I might even have my shoes off, further benefiting.

For anyone who does not know, contact with the Earth strictly through one's footwear is useless ─ there is no grounding benefit. Nor is there any benefit at all when a person is in any part of a house barefooted ─ the house insulates us from the Earth.

Apparently a wooden surface between you and the Earth ─ such as when you might lie upon a slab of plywood that is itself laying on the ground ─ will not benefit you.

I don't quite understand why, however.

Concrete is also great...but tarmac is not, and would be an impediment to the energy transfer we would be seeking.

Anyway, this interlude seems to defray the urge I would otherwise have override me soon after I am home (and sending me to my bed to lie down and maybe even seek a nap).

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I broke off from posting to watch an evening of television...while indulging in three cans of 8% alcohol beer, and a top-up can of regular 5% alcohol beer.

It is late, and I wish to publish ere midnight if I can.

The post I worked upon this morning and early afternoon was interrupted by the advent of my wife Jack from Vancouver.

I had expectation of her, but still hoped to complete the post ere she showed, if it was to be so.

I failed.

She was here for some while, cooking and just being herself.

She even had me take some photos of her with her iPhone. I had intended to get a couple of her with my camera before that ─ I love how she looks in that particular dress. But with her phone as the catalyst making the photography possible, I left things at that.

Here are four of those photos ─ not as clear as I think my Canon PowerShot would have yielded...or maybe it was just the brilliance of the sunshine on the lens of her iPhone?

There was a naughty breeze, by the way.

Anon, of course, she did leave for Vancouver again.

When she did, I was a tad surprised and delighted to see her exchange a decent embrace of good-bye with her youngest (17 years old) son Pote ─ he may even have voiced that he loved her.

I've never seen either of her sons evince overt endearment like that for no special reason. It is an encouraging sign, methinks.

Anyway, she left, and I returned to work upon that post ─ and finally got it published just after 6:00 p.m.: Phuket Thailand.

Then I soon commenced work upon this post, finally making the break to watch my evening television.

Lord ─ it is 11:30 p.m. at this moment! I need to close; I will do so with an entry from my journal of 41 years ago when I was 24 years old, and living for the month of May in a cheap housekeeping room I was renting in New Westminster.

THURSDAY, May 16, 1974I walked to Mark's and had a very intense workout throughout the day. He and Cathy took off for the Calgary wedding this eve, with Jock & Larry. Wendy came over for babysitting, but Bill & I are to keep an eye on her. He golfed today, and arrived c. 10:00 p.m.; he brought three small growing marijuana plants which we left there, under a few sparse bushes beside the house.

My younger brother Mark's girlfriend ─ whom he was sharing a rented home with in Whalley ─ had just the previous day (I believe) been with me when I bought those weights at a now long-gone Eaton's outlet in New Westminster.

I had written yesterday that we had brought the weights to my housekeeping room in New Westminster, but apparently we drove them to the house that she and Mark shared in Whalley.

I have never owned a car ─ Jeanette was helping me out.

I now understand how I was able to actually use the weights, for this was rather perplexing me ─ there would not have been any room in the cramped housekeeping domicile I was living in.

Mark and Jeanette were going to drive to Calgary for a wedding of a cousin (of Mark and I), and were apparently taking my maternal cousin Jock (John, actually) Halverson and his best friend Larry Blue.

Jeanette had two beautiful young daughters that my maternal cousin Wendy Halverson was to be babysitting while Mark and Jeanette were away for the couple or so days. However, Wendy was herself still a school girl ─ barely into her teens.

Unquestionably, Jeanette would want me and my dearly trusted friend William Alan Gill around as often as possible for an adult presence.

I vaguely remember that Bill ─ who then worked for New Westminster's Royal City Foods (which was associated with Delnor Frozen Foods) ─ would sometimes go on a company-sponsored golfing excursion.

Poor Bill ─ he once came home with a huge umbrella, striped red and white.

He placed so poorly, that no one came close to deserving the honour...and somehow he was proud of it!

Bill was like that ─ a lovable sweetheart.

The marijuana plants ─ I have no memory of Bill ever actually providing anything like that for Mark.

Bill was too...'out of it.' He never had those sort of contacts.

I wonder if I clear this up in a future journal entry? I definitely recall Mark having such plants at some point or other 'way back then, but I do not recall Bill ever being instrumental in their acquisition.